US Professional Rugby League Coming Soon!!

[krudmonk]

They say that San Francisco is the gay capital of the US, so I'd say it's a soccer town...

They aren't a sports town at all. The local Bay Area MLS side is in San Jose. A new NRLUS club could be based up there at Kezar our down at the future Earthquakes stadium. We'll see what the budgets are.

 

[deluded pom?]

They say that San Francisco is the gay capital of the US,

If this gets off the ground an SF gets a franchise I can see it being stacked with Aussies. ;-)

 

[Coastbloke]

If this gets off the ground an SF gets a franchise I can see it being stacked with Aussies. ;-)

Spose...

Even Ian Roberts could own a Pom...

 

[deluded pom?]

Spose...

Even Ian Roberts could own a Pom...

Ian Roberts was born a Pom and has probably owned many an Aussie in his time ;-)

 

[Coastbloke]

Ian Roberts was born a Pom and has probably owned many an Aussie in his time ;-)

:? :shock:

 

[miguel de cervantes]

I will be very surprised if this was to happen. The above link has been deleted so I think that tells us a whole lot about the accuracey of the story.

Coach, I have no doubt that the source of that story was this thread and this thread alone.

 

[Evil Homer]

A question though, 8 teams to be spread over the contiguous States? some fair gaps in between! I know currently the RL seems to be an East Coast thing (like Australia!) - in my mind I think of places like Arizona and Texas as being "Rugby League towns" - any thoughts guys, what about places like San Diego or San Francisco ?

Texas and Arizona are not 'towns', are not on the East Coast and there is no RL played in either of those states

Someone mentioned that there might be an LA team though I think, so can't see them going with two California teams. Provided the whole thing is real, of course.

 

[deluded pom?]

Coach, I have no doubt that the source of that story was this thread and this thread alone.

That link did exist. I accessed it myself before it was deleted.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Texas and Arizona are not 'towns', are not on the East Coast and there is no RL played in either of those states

Someone mentioned that there might be an LA team though I think, so can't see them going with two California teams. Provided the whole thing is real, of course.

I think he might mean that Texas and Arizona are the kind of towns (places) that might suit RL. I think.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

That link did exist. I accessed it myself before it was deleted.

Sure, but pretty much everything in the story fitted nicely into this thread, Donald Trump for example, whereas no known references to him being invloved really exist - just this thread.

 

[Poul]

A professional Rugby Leaue in the USA would be fantastic:crazy:, and might possibly bring Rugby League up to its rightful place in World Sport. I just hope it comes to fruition, as there have been a few false dawns in the past :sarcasm:

From what I have gleaned (sp?) from the web site, and the "chatter" that I am receiving, the "National Rugby League" will be an 8 team competion, with each team having 22 full time professional players who will be drafted to each team from a total of 176 players. The 8 franchised teams will have "world class" coaches (read Aussies and maybe Poms), and be located in 8 different cities across the USA. The competion will be held over 17 weeks (14 weeks regular season of home and away matches followed by a 3 week play off series). The current AMNRL competition will act as as lower tier competition and possible feeder for the "National Rugby League". There will be national try outs during 2009 open to both local and foreign players, for selection for a pre-draft camp to be held in October 2009. The National Rugby League draft will be announced in November 2009. The competition will kick off in March 2010, and culminate in the Championship Final in Philadephia on 4th July (Independence Day) 2010.I have no information about the likely franchisees and their locations.
A speculated television partner is also unkown, but there is a proposal for a "National Rugby League" reality television/documentary being aired to introduce the "National Rugby League" to the American televsion viewing public.
I shall watch this space with great interest, as more information comes to light.

 

[fourplay]

The link wasn't deleted.
It just wasn't pasted properly.. it was missing half the address from it.

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/beer-quickly-drying-up/2009/03/19/1237055003874.html?page=2

 

[druzik]

A professional Rugby Leaue in the USA would be fantastic:crazy:, and might possibly bring Rugby League up to its rightful place in World Sport. I just hope it comes to fruition, as there have been a few false dawns in the past :sarcasm:

Look... one day... I think trying it right from the bat as suggested will not work. It needs to be like in France with clubs, have them go as semi pro and let them naturally become pro.

From what I have gleaned (sp?) from the web site, and the "chatter" that I am receiving, the "National Rugby League" will be an 8 team competion, with each team having 22 full time professional players who will be drafted to each team from a total of 176 players. The 8 franchised teams will have "world class" coaches (read Aussies and maybe Poms), and be located in 8 different cities across the USA. The competion will be held over 17 weeks (14 weeks regular season of home and away matches followed by a 3 week play off series). The current AMNRL competition will act as as lower tier competition and possible feeder for the "National Rugby League". There will be national try outs during 2009 open to both local and foreign players, for selection for a pre-draft camp to be held in October 2009. The National Rugby League draft will be announced in November 2009. The competition will kick off in March 2010, and culminate in the Championship Final in Philadephia on 4th July (Independence Day) 2010.I have no information about the likely franchisees and their locations.
A speculated television partner is also unkown, but there is a proposal for a "National Rugby League" reality television/documentary being aired to introduce the "National Rugby League" to the American televsion viewing public.
I shall watch this space with great interest, as more information comes to light.

yes we all kow this, but teams are being artificially created where the sport just does not exists and has zero profil. You cant just fo and 'make' a team and expect people to turn up if they have no connection to it.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

You cant just fo and 'make' a team and expect people to turn up if they have no connection to it.

You can in America

 

[druzik]

You can in America

How... name me a team where thishas happened.

Any NFL or NBL teams always have a large support from people in the cities and the sport as a whole has a countrywide following, so any team created will always have that core support no matter what.

However this is rugby league, a tiny tiny sport that is lucky if it averages 200 people to a game and has basically no outside support. You think that all of a sudden you come and 'create' a new team and a new sport in a city or town that haze absolutely Zero connection will just start turning up... hell no.

What should have been done, is the AMNRL get a decent TV deal where its being shown on NBC (this seems to the TV station everyone is linking in) also show one or two NRL, ESL and SoO and internationals. Get the US team playing regular internationals, even against Jamaica, just get them out there and visible. Hav clubs like become semi pro first, show people that there is another sport where you can start to earn money, get people in, once you get to about 3000 fans average you can start looking at a fully pro comp.

As it stands... if I were running a current club, the new 8 ursurpers would pi$$ me off, why they get precedence and not my club?

I am all for expansion... I am as internationalist as they come... but I have seen what it takes just to get an amateur team set up, and just waving money around is not enough, I really have a bad gut feeling on this.... and its not last night pizza.

 

[deluded pom?]

IIRC the Manchester ice hockey team were getting ten thousand through the gate a few years back. This in a city with no real ice hockey history to shout about just plenty of hype.

 

[druzik]

IIRC the Manchester ice hockey team were getting ten thousand through the gate a few years back. This in a city with no real ice hockey history to shout about just plenty of hype.

Manchester UK?!

 

[deluded pom?]

Manchester UK?!

Yes.
http://www.manchesterstorm.co.uk/

 

[miguel de cervantes]

What should have been done, is the AMNRL get a decent TV deal where its being shown on NBC (this seems to the TV station everyone is linking in) also show one or two NRL, ESL and SoO and internationals. Get the US team playing regular internationals, even against Jamaica, just get them out there and visible. Have clubs like become semi pro first, show people that there is another sport where you can start to earn money, get people in, once you get to about 3000 fans average you can start looking at a fully pro comp.

I agree 100%, but this is America. Crazy stuff happens in America.

As the rest of the world would light a fire with kindling and scraps of newspaper, the American's would start with a stick of dynamite. It's their way of doing things and maybe that is what will work well in this case.

 

[miguel de cervantes]

Yes.
http://www.manchesterstorm.co.uk/

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Who in early 1995 would have believed that within 18 months 17245 people would watch a game of ice hockey in Manchester?
Who in that audience would have believed that by the Autumn of 2002 the team would fold due to a shortage of income?[/FONT]

OK, we don't really want to go down that road...